


A Long Love Story

by maddiemoiselleeee



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 11:18:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14810351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiemoiselleeee/pseuds/maddiemoiselleeee
Summary: Lance is pining for Keith, and with a little (read: big) nudge from Pidge, the two finally get together.





	A Long Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> The beginning is 100% word-for-word the comic that I first saw here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoejQpJGycw I take no credit for the first 1130 words please do not yell at me
> 
> other than that, just enjoy the super long fic I finished in my inability to sleep.
> 
> also right now I am keith despite the fact I'm not valedictorian
> 
> also fun face this fic has 10575 words and the other one i posted like 12 minutes ago has 1575 words spooky

Keith fucking Kogane. Every time Lance saw him, he felt his heart skip a beat. 

Today was no different than any other day. When he walked into study hall with his long hair tied back into a ponytail at the base of his neck and his damn reading glasses on, Lance fell in love all over again. He was amazed at how someone could look so perfect without even trying. 

He sat down and as per usual, he pulled out his chemistry notes and began scribbling in them. It was  _ killing  _ Lance not to walk up to him and hit him with a pick up line, somewhere along the lines of, ‘Hey, baby. I think there’s some real chemistry between us.’ which would have been damn funny because there literally  _ was _ chemistry between them. Lance could have done it with anyone else, but just because it was Keith, he couldn’t.

Pidge and Hunk, who were seated right next to Lance, were deeply engaged in a conversation about Fraunhofer lines. Lance could honestly care less, and his lack of knowledge on the subject gave him the perfect excuse to pull his phone out and start playing on it. After scrolling through his apps to find a game to waste his life on, Snapchat caught his eye, which gave him an idea.

He glanced back over at Keith to make sure he wasn’t looking at him, why would he though, then clicked on the yellow app. The camera popped open, and as subtly as possible, he angled his camera towards Keith and quickly pressed the capture button. Keith was seated right next to the window, so the light made his face kind of dark, but otherwise it was a great picture. 

Satisfied, he began scrolling through filters, trying to pick the best one for it. He stumbled on one with hearts everywhere, and tried his best not to smile, but Pidge must have noticed him doing mischief because right as he hit the save button, he saw her fingers wrap around his phone and slide it out of his hands. “Lance, what are you doing?” She asked, sounding unimpressed. 

Lance jumped, not expecting either of them to notice him. “Pidge?!”

“He’s probably surfing the net again.” Hunk laughed, letting his jaw fall into his hand as he stared at Pidge. 

Pidge angled Lance’s phone towards Hunk, and Lance couldn’t help but think that privacy was dead anymore. “Wait - stop!” Lance begged, but it was too late. Pidge and Hunk raised their eyebrows as they looked from the picture to the real Keith. “It - I - It was just an accident! Totally an accident!” He laughed out, trying his best to cover himself. 

Hunk gave him an unimpressed look while Pidge rolled her eyes. “Really… Lance… then I guess the  _ hearts _ are totally on accident, too…?” She teased, displaying the photo back towards him.

“Argh!” Lance flinched, knowing he was totally exposed right now. Still, he tried to play it off. “I-I was just testing out the filters! W-why would I put hearts? Don’t be stUpiD ha...ha.” He stuttered out, lacking any confidence at all. His face felt hot and he was sure it was bright red, and he wanted nothing more right now than to crawl in a hole and die. However, Pidge and Hunk loved nothing more than interfering in his personal affairs. “Um… guys? Stop telecommunicating!” He demanded, already ready to die of embarrassment. 

They both got shit eating grins on their faces as they turned to where Keith was diligently working on his school assignments. “Hey, Keith!” Hunk shouted, which caught Keith’s attention. He glanced over with furrowed brows, confused as to what they wanted.

Lance was babbling incoherently at this point, completely dumbfounded that his friends would betray him like this. Who would out their best friend like this? These two, that’s who. “Come over here for a while!” Pidge called, waving her arm while still keeping Lance’s phone captive. Lance screamed ‘noOO!!’ when she did, trying to hide his face in his arms. 

He felt utterly betrayed when Keith stood up, pushing his chair back. “Um… sure?” He questioned, clearly confused by the antics that were going on at the table right next to his. 

Lance’s heart was thudding in his chest at a million miles a minute. He stood up and leaned towards Pidge, trying to swipe his phone back before she could show Keith. “Pidge I’ll pay you $1000.” He begged, mad that his long arms couldn’t reach her.

“You don’t have $1000, Lance.” She grinned, looking absolutely evil. 

Lance’s pulse pounded in his ears as he felt himself grow redder as Keith got nearer. Then, before he knew it, Keith was standing right next to him, the confusion on his face still present. Lance felt physically sick now and slammed his head on the table, covering his mouth as Keith finally spoke. “What?” He asked hesitantly. 

“I just want to show you something~” Pidge said innocently, holding Lance’s phone out for Keith to see. Keith took the phone and examined the screen, his eyebrows going up just as Pidge and Hunk’s had. At this point, Lance had accepted his fate, and all he wanted to do was play dead on the table, hoping that Keith would have mercy on him. “Lance took a really nice picture.”

There was silence, and Lance was positive that Keith was thinking how much of a creep he was right now. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he tried to hold them back so he didn’t break down right then and there. He heard beeping on his phone, and assumed that was Keith blocking him or deleting the photo or something. Then, he heard his phone being set on the table, and glanced at it quickly to assess the damage.

He was not expecting Keith’s phone number to be typed into the dial pad of his phone. 

Lance suddenly shot up as Keith was turning away to go back to his desk and continue his chemistry work. Lance felt like he needed to say something, and the best way he could phrase how he felt came out as a stupid sounding, “Um-”

“I won’t pick up calls.” Keith said, sitting back down in his chair and picking his pencil back up to resume his work. “But, I’ll reply to texts if I’m free, I guess.” He added, taking off his glasses and turning his head to the window, avoiding looking Lance in the eyes. Lance was sure he was blushing, just as he himself was. 

His heart was beating fast again, though this time not out of fear. He heard Pidge laughing evilly, his phone still in her hands, and he quickly snatched it out, saving Keith’s number immediately.

* * *

 

After weeks of texting and pining, Lance had finally managed to ask Keith out on a date, somehow. It was super casual, though, just a trip to the movies so that Lance couldn't say anything stupid if he tried.

They met up for dinner before hand, which made it really hard for Lance not to say some stupid pickup line. He saw dozens of opportunities, and had to pass them all up so that he didn't weird out Keith. He'd been on plenty of dates before, but he had never felt this nervous.

Once he choked on his Pepsi for a third time in ten minutes, Keith gave an annoyed sigh. “Lance, what are you doing?” He asked, resting his chin in his hand as his eyebrows raised in an unamused expression.

Lance wiped his mouth, pulling at his collar. “I'm, uh, clearly learning how to drink through a straw for the first time.” He muttered.

Keith snorted, which made Lance’s heart flutter. “Okay, there's the idiot I know. You're acting like a completely different person, just be yourself.” He encouraged. 

Lance stared down at the table, his hands pressing into his thighs. “I… don't want you to think I'm stupid, okay? I really like you and I don't want to mess this up. That's why I chose the movies so that I couldn't talk and mess anything up and then you would hate me and I would start pining again and - I'm rambling, aren't I?” He said, finally looking up.

Keith blinked at him, then started to laugh. Lance couldn't decide if he was offended by the laughs or if he was falling further in love. “Lance, I have known you for years now, if you were going to make me think you were stupid, you would have done so by now. I wouldn't have agreed to go out with you. You don't have to bed and wed me tonight, just take it slow and be yourself, you dork.”

After the small confidence boost, the night went by smoother. Lance threw his best pickup lines at Keith, who snorted in amusement at each one. The movie went by smoothly too. Lance felt less pressure to act like someone else and they actually had a good time because of it. In the middle of the movie during a jumpscare, Keith flinched and made a squeak, something Lance committed to his memory. After the movie, Keith had even given him a chaste kiss when Lance dropped him off at his house. The feel of his soft lips and the red that overpowered his face after he had done it had Lance in a stupidly good mood the next day, much to the dismay of Pidge.

“I think I liked him better when he was moping.” Pidge grumbled, glaring at the infatuated lover boy who practically had hearts flying around him.

“Aw, come on, let him be.” Hunk said, smiling at his infatuated friend. “I think it's kind of cute. Lance has never seemed this into somebody before.”

Lance didn't even seem to hear them as he smiled at his phone while texting Keith. He had to stay home today because his dad got really sick and needed him to take care of him. Keith had still had enough presence of mind to text Lance this and tell him that he wasn't just avoiding him because the date sucked or anything, something Lance greatly appreciated. This only aided his dopey good mood.

After school, the trio went to Pidge’s house to play Killbot Phantasm 1. Pidge and Hunk sat on the couch, engrossed in an intense battle while Lance laid on the floor to charge his phone while still texting Keith. Hunk had paused the game to ask Lance if he wanted a turn, but when Lance looked up and asked when they got to Pidge’s house, despite being the one who drove them all there, Hunk rolled his eyes and unpaused the game, not giving Lance a chance to play.

* * *

 

It was their third date, and though Lance should have had more confidence after two prior dates and well over a month of being in a relationship together, he was a wreck. He was lucky enough that Keith had even shown up, showing that he was clearly invested in their relationship, but everyone knew what the third date meant. It meant going further than Lance had ever imagined possible with Keith, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it, let alone Keith. Was he going to expect it, or would he be horrified that Lance even suggested it? Did the principle even count for high school kids?

He was almost glad to see Keith was fidgeting in his seat too, taking a few sips too many from his drink. To be honest, Lance didn't want to take things further. He was happy where they were right now and didn't want to put that extra pressure on them. He didn't know what he was going to do if Keith was fidgeting in anticipation for what was supposed to come later. He didn't have to wonder long, however, because after his third refill from stress drinking, Keith spoke up.

“Lance, um, you know what they say about third dates, right? Like, what's supposed to happen?” He asked, avoiding eye contact.

Well, it was now or never. “Listen, Keith. I really like you. Like, seriously like you. But I also really like where things are with us right now, and I don’t really want to push things too fast for now. I’m really sorry if that changes things, I just had to let you know.” He spilled, feeling like a weight had been removed from his shoulders. Now he had to wait for Keith’s response.

There was a moment of silence, and then there was a small laugh followed by a soft  _ oh my god _ that Lance was unable to decide if it sounded like disgust or not. But when he looked up at Keith, he knew that it was a whisper of relief. 

“You don’t know how happy I am that you just said that. I was seriously stressing out all week because I didn’t know how you would want to approach the situation.” He confessed, a relieved smile growing on his face. “I just don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

Lance slid his hands over the table, and Keith followed suite, letting their fingers mix together. “Thank God. Now we can both stop worrying and finally enjoy our night. There’s no pressure to do anything until we’re both ready, right?” Lance asked with a warm smile on his face.

Keith nodded, keeping his smile on his face, and they both leaned forward over the table, pressing their lips together in practiced ease.

* * *

 

Keith had been missing a lot of school. It was almost every day where Lance was dropping off assignments at Keith’s house, or gathering them so Keith’s older brother Shiro could come pick them up. They were graduating in a month, and Lance was worried Keith was going to get too behind and would have to either stay another year or do summer classes, which would really blow because Lance knew Keith worked super hard. He was first in their class at one point, but his recent absences had him falling behind. When Lance tried to question him about it, all he had replied was  _ my dad is really sick _ and that was it.

Now, it was almost 11 at night, and Lance was laying on his bed trying to finish his half of a group project while his siblings ran and screamed around him despite the fact that they should have been in their own rooms asleep. He was used to the loud chaos which resulted from seven younger siblings, so used to it that he wouldn’t have even noticed his phone vibrate if the screen didn’t light up. 

He shoved his youngest sister off of him so he could reach for it. When he saw it was a text from Keith, he smiled a little bit. That smile quickly wore off when he read the contents of the message.

_ I’m outside. Need to talk. _

He felt his heart stop for a moment, then shook his head to clear any negative thoughts beginning to form. He shoved his school work aside and stood up. Seven pairs of eyes landed on him, and they all wanted to know where he was going and if they could go with him. He hissed at them to go to their own rooms and go to bed or he was going to tell mom, and they all scattered.

He knew his mom was going to be ticked off that he was going out this late at night, but he had to know what Keith needed that couldn’t wait. He bounded down the stairs and unlocked the door, immediately seeing Keith sitting on the porch step. He quietly closed the door behind him and sat down next to Keith, swallowing in anticipation. “So… what’s wrong?”

When Keith turned to him, he finally got a good look at his face. His eyes were swollen and red, and trails of tears glistened down his cheeks. Lance immediately melted, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend, stroking his back as Keith began to sob. Lance whispered sweet nothings into his ear as he rubbed small circles, soothing Keith as he tried to calm down enough to speak. 

When he’d managed to calm himself into hitches of the breath and sharp shoulder jerks, he pulled away from Lance to stare directly into his eyes. Lance thought he was going to break down again, but when he used his own thumb to wipe away a tear, Keith sniffed in hard, then sighed. 

“My dad’s been real sick for a while now, and they finally told me and Shiro that he probably will die by the end of the month.” He choked out, his voice quiet and strained. 

Lance immediately pulled Keith back in, stroking his dark hair as he lost it again, sobs beginning to wrack his body once more. He kissed the top of his head as he held him in his strong, protective arms. 

“He’s not going to be able to see me graduate,” Keith gasped out from his spot in Lance’s shirt. “He won’t see Shiro get married this summer. He won’t get to see me start college. After my mom died, he’s been one of the only one I’ve had left besides my brother, and he’s going to miss all these important things. He’s going to be  _ gone _ , Lance.”

“Keith, it’s—” Lance tried to start, but Keith snapped his head towards him and gave him a very passionate glare.

“Everything is  _ not _ going to be fine, Lance! My dad is… he is…” Keith couldn’t choke out the rest of the words, head falling into his hands as he sobbed, hardly able to breathe. 

Lance shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Keith’s shoulders to keep him warm. Then, he helped pull him to his feet and began to guide him to the door. Keith looked confused but he didn't try to resist. “What are you-?”

“You're going to stay here tonight. My mom likes you anyway, she's probably going to try and offer to make you a meal now. And she knows we're not stupid enough to try and do anything with nine other people in the house.” Lance explained, pressing kisses all over Keith’s cheek as he lead him in. 

“Your siblings…” Keith started, clearly unsure.

“Are annoying as hell and will probably harass me tomorrow when they see you, but they won't care. Now come on.” Lance said with a smile, gently pushing him through the door. 

Lance knew that he wasn't very good at comforting people. Despite having seven younger siblings, he just couldn't find words to make someone feel better. The best he could do was distract them and hope it worked.

Lance was right about one thing. When they walked up the stairs that creaked a little too loud, Lance’s mother came out of her room. When she saw Keith, rather than question why he was here so late at night, she told him she would start making him dinner, to which Lance rolled his eyes and told her to go back to bed. 

He pulled Keith into his room and set him on the bed while he rummaged through his dresser to find him clothes to wear. He was taking an annoyingly long time to pick something out, which made Keith sniffle and glare at him. “What are you doing, just get me something.” He muttered in annoyance.

“I can't decide.” Lance whined, still rummaging through his clothes. “All my clothes are white and blue, but you look better in black and red.”

“What does it matter? We're going to sleep, no one is going to see me.” Keith sighed, his voice still cracking from how hard he had been crying.

“I will. Now hush.” he insisted. He finally fished out a blue and white baseball tee, and as much as it killed him to wreck his boyfriend’s color palette, he let him wear it. 

They crawled under the covers of Lance’s bed, and Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s torso. They managed to stay like that all night until Lance’s alarm for school blared in their ears, making them jump.

Downstairs, they were greeted with a full course breakfast. Somehow, they managed to squeeze all eleven people, a dog, and two cats into a six person table. While Lance’s parents didn't pry, his siblings were all over Keith, asking if he was moving in and if he would come back after school and play with them. Keith had finally grown out of his awkward antisocial phase around them and was able to toss back everything they threw at him. He still had sadness in eyes, but he was able to smile around Lance’s family, which made Lance smile.

* * *

 

Keith was back in school for the first time in weeks, and Lance was taking full advantage of the fact. During their study hall, they sat ridiculously close to each other, and Lance just stared into Keith's eyes that were hidden behind his glasses as he droned on and on about a math formula that Lance could honestly care less about. When Keith realized Lance wasn't listening, he rolled his eyes and bopped his nose to get him to focus. “Hey, if you fail math, I'm not listening to you complain about summer classes. You know you'll get Iverson.”

Lance groaned. “You can't expect me to focus when the hottest guy in Garrison High is my boyfriend. Seriously, how can such boring words come out of such a pretty mouth?” He asked, leaning forward for a kiss. Keith laughed and shoved him away, insisting that they had to focus, while Pidge gagged from the table right next to theirs.

“Oh my god. You two are so gay.” she groaned, pressing her forehead into the wood of the table.

Hunk let out a breathy laugh and stared at her. “C’mon, leave them alone. You kind of forced them together, you know.” He pointed out, taking a sip from a juice box that he had packed for his lunch. 

“I'm happy for them, they are just so gay. Can't you two be less gay for like 5 minutes?” Pidge asked them.

Lance grinned at her and shook his head, then leaned forward to give Keith another kiss. Pidge groaned once more.

* * *

 

Lance felt like a jackass, mainly because he was. He and Keith had planned one final date before Keith had to lock himself in his room to worship his notes like the bible before finals began. They told him if he managed to do extremely well on all of them, he would be able to snag back valedictorian at the last minute. Finals were three weeks away, and Keith had no time to lose.

The reason that Lance felt like a jackass, however, is that he had to cancel the date last minute. His parents left town without warning him or his siblings, and he was now stuck on babysitter duty for the rest of the night. Lance loved his siblings to death, but having to cancel his date with Keith so he could tell them not to run with scissors on a Friday night was not his idea of fun. Keith had said it was fine, but deep down, Lance knew it really wasn't, and it pissed him off.

About an hour into his babysitting, there was a knock at the door. His siblings tried to run to the door to open it, but Lance jumped up off the couch and yelled at them. “You know the rules! If someone knocks you have to get me, mom, or dad to open it. Don't pretend that just because mom and dad aren't here that the rules don't apply.” He hissed. 

His siblings all pouted but quickly got over it, all running to the living room to play. Lance sighed in exhaustion and twisted the door knob. “We don't want what you're selling and we already found Jesus.” He explained before even seeing who it was.

When he finally did look up, he saw Keith standing there, looking surprised at what Lance had just said to him. Lance blinked, surprised to see Keith there. “Keith?”

“I uh, thought that if we couldn't go out we could at least still hang out here. Do you say that to everyone who knocks?” he asked, an amused smile growing on his face.

“Sort of. But hey yeah, come in, dude.” He said, stepping aside to let him in. 

Keith stepped in, and the first thing to happen to him was being tackled by Lance’s eight year old sister who had a bigger crush on him than Lance did. “Keith, my love, you're here!” she explained, rubbing her cheek into his stomach. 

“Hey, back off.” Lance warned, trying to pry her off. “Keith isn't a jungle gym. And besides, I already called dibs on him.” He added, turning Keith’s face towards him to press a kiss on his lips. 

“That's no fair!” she whined, pulling on Keith's leg. “If he knew the real me he would love me!”

“Lindsey, you are eight. You don't have a real side.” Lance sighed. 

Lindsey huffed and stomped out of the room, and Lance just rolled his eyes and grabbing Keith's wrist and pulling him to the living room. They sat on the couch while Lance turned on Chopped. Lance was perfectly content watching and idly playing with Keith's hair. Keith, however, was distracted by all the screaming and fighting that was ensuing. 

“Shouldn't you like… stop them?” He asked, staring at the siblings who were currently wrestling in front of the TV, dangerously close to knocking a lamp over. 

Lance, who had barely noticed, glanced up, then sighed. “Hey, you two have five seconds to knock it off before I get up.” He warned. They looked up and glared at him then began screaming that the other started it. They persisted long enough that Lance got annoyed and stood up. They didn’t even seem to notice amongst their fighting. He grabbed each of them by their arms and squeezed hard, making them jump in shock and pain. Then, in fluent Spanish, he began hissing at them, making them swallow, stare at the floor, apologize to Keith, then walk out of the room. 

Lance let out a deep breath and collapsed back on the couch, leaning onto Keith. “I’m really sorry you had to see that. Sometimes, they just won’t stop unless you yell at them. It’s kind of common around here with so many of us in this tiny house.”

Keith shrugged, leaning back on him. “It’s fine. I can’t say I understand, because Shiro wasn’t around much so I didn’t really have someone to fight with, but I know it’s normal for siblings to argue.” He explained.

Lance groaned endearingly and nuzzled his neck. “Geez, babe, you sound like a textbook. You’re not allowed to go full on nerd mode on me until tomorrow.” He said.

Keith hummed and rubbed the inside of Lance’s thigh. “I can’t help it. It’s who I am. I can’t do all the sweet talk you can, but I can recite pi to eighty seven places.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Lance gave a fake moan, getting even closer to Keith. “Oh baby,  _ stop _ , I won’t be able to keep my hands off of you if you keep talking dirty to me.” He gasped out, pressing his lips, onto Keith’s.

Keith rolled his eyes, kissing him back. “Shut up, McClain.” He said, though his body language seemed to suggest he wasn’t as annoyed as his language said.

Lance pulled away from the kiss briefly, but then shifted to hover over Keith to deepen their kiss further. Keith gripped onto Lance’s shirt to ground himself, quickly becoming overwhelmed by the kiss. Lance planted a hand on the couch next to Keith’s head, bending an elbow to get even closer. Keith parted his lips and Lance was all too eager to go inside, letting their tongues battle for dominance. Lance quickly won, swiping his tongue over Keith’s, and wasn’t even phased when their teeth clicked. What did phase them, however, was when Lance’s youngest sibling, only three years old, wobbled into the living room. “Lance! Hungry!” He whined.

The other kids began to pour into the room too, and they all started teasing Lance about kissing Keith, who was about as red as his shirt. Lance blushed angrily too and stood up, shooing them out of the room and following them. “Oh my God, you guys are the only form of birth control I am ever going to need!” 

Keith couldn’t help but laugh, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

* * *

 

“Ah, so he comes crawling back, does he?” Pidge hummed, raising her eyebrows in amusement as Lance sat at the table she and Hunk occupied.

Lance rolled his eyes as he sank into the chair, automatically pulling his phone out. “Ha ha, funny. Keith’s got finals to study for and his brother’s wedding on Saturday, so I don’t wanna bug him. He’s practically locked himself in the library. All I’m good for anymore is feeding him and making sure he doesn’t walk into another door frame.”

“Ah, Lance is like a poor lost puppy without Keith.” Hunk teased, punching his shoulder gently. Lance glared at him and shoved him back.

“I’m seriously surprised Keith actually likes you enough to have stayed with you for what is it, four months?” Pidge asked with a smile on her face.

“Five months when we graduate.” Lance grinned. “And I’m going to ignore that remark at me. I’ll have you know I’m  _ very _ charming.”

“I’m 100% positive that when I forced you to ask out Keith you were dying to say ‘it looks like there’s chemistry between us’ because his chemistry notes would literally between you. That’s far from charming, Lance.” Pidge deadpanned.

Hunk laughed while Lance’s face grew red, trying to play it off. “Shut up. So do you guys want to hang out after school? Killbot Phantasm 2 is coming out in July and I think we need to keep our skills sharp.”

Where Pidge could have thrown another snide remark about how he was only spending time with them because his boyfriend was preoccupied, she instantly perked up at the mention of the game, leaning over the table to squeal about how her brother had defeated the final level of Killbot Phantasm 1. Hunk and Lance jumped up and demanded to know how he did it, as so far none of them had managed to get past level 20.

* * *

 

“Keith, you need to put the notecards away.” Lance groaned, trying to pull the beat up multicolor cards out of his boyfriend’s hands. Keith looked at him with an outraged face, trying to get them back. 

“If I don’t study, I’m going to fail the finals.” He insisted. 

Lance rolled his eyes. They both knew that Keith could get an A without even trying, and that right now, he was just stress studying. “Babe, I love you, but your brother’s wedding is starting in five minutes, and you’re kind of a part of it.” He pointed out. “In fact, I think ‘here comes the bride’ is already playing. You gotta relax, sweetheart.”

Keith groaned as Lance finally pried the cards out of his hands. “Can we leave after the vows?” he begged, actually looking sad about being told he can’t study. 

“Keith, it’s your brother’s wedding. I think you can wait it out. If you’re good, I might let you study a little during the reception.” Lance said with a wink and an elbow nudge. 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Lance, I’m 18, not 8.”

“Yeah, if you were 8, Lindsey would be your girlfriend.” Lance teased. He received a sharp blow to the gut for that one, making him laugh. 

The rest of the wedding went by smoothly. Lance sat with some of Keith’s distant family members as Keith stood with Shiro at the front of the chapel. Shiro’s bride, Allura, looked absolutely stunning. She was walked down the aisle by her father Alfor, who couldn't keep the smile off his face. Shiro actually started crying when he saw her walking down the aisle, and Keith placed a hand on his shoulder to support him. They said their vows and kissed, then Shiro picked her up bridal style and carried her out while everyone clapped for them. 

Lance somehow managed to find Keith among the swarm. He latched on to him and refused to let him go as they made their way to the reception hall. Over half of the people here were from Allura’s side of the family, which intimidated the both of them. They sat at their assigned table awkwardly as one of Allura’s older aunts tried to set Lance up with her daughter who looked like she was 12. 

Keith's father wasn't able to stay longer than the ceremony, but when he left he was crying from how proud he was. Shiro and Keith also started crying, but for different reasons. This might be the last event their father would attend, and it was crushing them.

To try and calm his social anxiety, school anxiety, and life anxiety, Shiro let his brother have a couple drinks. Given that Keith had never had alcohol before in his life, Shiro should have known to stop him after two drinks, but he didn't. 

By this point, Keith had successfully downed five drinks, and being the lightweight they now knew he was, he was plastered. He actually got up and started dancing with his estranged cousins, and Lance even saw him shed his jacket and roll up the sleeves of his red undershirt and start singing into silverware. Lance was too embarrassed to go get him right away, but when he started unbuttoning his shirt, Lance shot up and grabbed him, dragging him out of the room while casting a quick glance to Shiro. Shiro mouthed ‘thank you’ as Lance and Keith ducked out of the room. 

Lance practically dragged Keith towards his car and literally had to stuff him inside. “Okay, pretty guy, you are fucking heavy when you are a dead weight.” He hissed as he collapsed into the driver’s seat, panting heavily from the exertion. Keith didn’t even seem phased. He was muttering incoherently, making Lance roll his eyes with a smile. 

The smile didn’t last long, though, because before they were even out of the car, Keith was trying to get his hand down Lance’s pants. He had thought it was a simple gesture of affection with Keith placing a hand on his thigh, but that hand began to rub up and down his inner thigh, then went straight up to his crotch without much warning. Lance jolted jerked the steering wheel, barely managing to save them. “Keith.” He said in a warning tone. 

Lance’d managed to swat Keith’s hand off of him for the remainder of the car ride, much to Keith’s dismay. Then, when they finally reached Keith's house, he pulled Keith out of the car. This was proving difficult once again because Keith was trying to jump him yet again. It would have been much easier to carry Keith, but Lance was pathetically weak, which made the endeavour almost impossible.

When Lance finally managed to deposit Keith in his bed, Keith tried to pull him down with him. “Keith, baby, no. We aren't doing anything while you're drunk.” He insisted. He cared too much about Keith to do anything when he wasn't fully aware of where he was or what he was doing.

“But I'm ready.” Keith whined, his voice heavily slurred. To prove his point, he slid his hands down Lance’s body, getting dangerously close to his crotch again. Lance hesitated, then, after a deep breath, swatted his hand away.

“I'm sorry, Keith. Not today. I'm gonna go get you some water.” Lance said, ducking out of the room despite the cries of his boyfriend. He heard Keith whine but he ignored him, walking towards the kitchen. 

Naturally, Lance assumed that the house was empty when he brought Keith home. Shiro was at his wedding, obviously, and he assumed that their father was taken back to the hospital. He wandered around the house, trying his best to navigate in the dark. When he finally reached the kitchen, he struggled to find any cups. The house was mostly empty, as if no one lived there, and in contrast to his cluttered house where you couldn’t walk through a room without tripping on something, he felt kind of sad about it.

Under the sink, surprisingly enough, he found a bag of red solo cups. He opened the bag and took one out, filling it with tap water. When he turned around, he saw Keith’s dad sitting in the doorway in his wheelchair. He nearly swore and dropped the cup, but he managed to compose himself beforehand. “M-Mr. Kogane. I didn’t know you were here. Wh… what’s up?” He stuttered, trying his best to sound cool. He’d only ever met Keith’s dad once before, when he was significantly healthier.

“Lawrence, was it?” Keith's dad asked in a deep, raspy voice.

Lance swallowed. “It's actually… uh… Lance… but you can call me Lawrence! It doesn't matter!” he mumbled out. 

Keith's dad chuckled, and Lance wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or not. “I'm sorry, my memory is shot these days.” He paused to cough, and Lance stood there awkwardly. Then, he cleared his throat and continued. “I heard you and Keith when you came in.”

Lance paled. “S-sir, it's not what you think-”

Keith's dad raised a hand to stop him. “That boy has had a rough life. He and Shiro aren't full brothers, either. Same mother, different fathers. I always thought of Shiro as my own boy too, though. Their mom died when Keith was four, so Keith never really knew her. Now I'm going. And Keith never did have many friends growing up, always kept to himself. He doesn't really know how to handle himself around others. I'm just glad that you're here for him, and that you didn’t take advantage of him. Thank you, Lance.”

Lance’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as he tried to think of words to say. “I - Uh - No, I just - um, listen. I have known Keith my entire life, ever since preschool. We were always rivals, at least, that’s how I saw it, but then one day I realized that I didn’t hate him, and actually really valued him. I just have too much respect for him to hurt him. Sir.” He said, adding the sir on the end mostly out of fear. 

Keith’s dad closed his eyes. “Thank you, son. I’m not sure how much longer I have, but it sure is reassuring knowing my boys are being taken care of by two respectable people.”

Lance beamed, and even did a little bow. “Thank you so much, sir.” Then, after awkwardly gesturing towards the cup of water and babbling nonsense, Keith’s father nodded his head, and Lance walked out slowly, not wanting to make it seem like he was running.

When Lance returned to Keith’s room, Keith was passed out hard. Half of him was hanging off the bed, and his coat was dangling off one arm. He even still had his shoes on. Lance smiled fondly and set the water down, sauntering over to Keith to take his jacket off the rest of the way and slide off his shoes. He undid his necktie too and snapped off his watch, then  rolled Keith back onto the bed, laying him on his side and tucking him under the covers. Keith wrinkled his nose and groaned, but never seemed to wake up. The cup of water was placed on his nightstand, and his garbage bin was dragged closer to him for when the alcohol fought back.

Before leaving, Lance scribbled Keith a note and stuck it right on his phone in hopes that he would see it in the morning. Then, he pressed a quick kiss to Keith’s forehead and ducked out of the room.

* * *

 

Lance was rudely awoken by his phone. He groaned and began swatting at his night stand, trying to find it. It should be illegal to call people before noon on a Sunday. He didn’t even bother checking to see who it was when he hit the answer button, his eyes too tired to focus. “S’Lance.” He slurred out.

“ _ Hey, Lance. I’m sorry, did I wake you? _ ” The destroyed voice of Keith whispered through the phone. 

Lance flopped onto his back and groaned. “A little bit. I needed to wake up anyway, though. So, how is our little prince?” Lance teased, closing his eyes.

“ _ Shut up. I’m never drinking again. _ ” Keith groaned. He truly did sound like he’d been throwing up all morning. “ _ I can’t believe I did any of that. _ ”

“Ah, so he remembers?” Lance asked, amused. “My favorite part was when you tried to sing all of the parts of Bohemian Rhapsody by yourself. I thought you were having a seizure.” He laughed tiredly.

He couldn’t see it, but he could sense Keith’s face getting red. “ _ Oh  _ God,  _ I didn’t. _ ” He groaned.

“Check Snapchat.” Lance said. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to just ditch you last night. I figured it would be easier for both of us if I went home.” He tried to explain, rolling onto his side and adjusting the blankets further on his body. 

He heard a long pause, and almost wondered if Keith dropped his phone to go throw up again. He was about to call Keith’s name when he heard him whisper, “ _ I’m sorry for trying to pressure you last night. I understand if you want to break up. _ ”

Lance shot up into a sitting position, raising his eyebrows in disbelief as if Keith could actually see him. “What? Keith, baby, no, it wasn’t that. I am  _ more _ than willing to do that kind of stuff with you. The problem was, however, I wasn’t doing it when I wasn’t sure if you actually wanted it. I’m not going to take advantage of you. We’re going to move through this together, got it?” He asked, hoping Keith understood where he was coming from. After their third date, they decided they would move at a pace that suited them both, and neither would overstep their bounds.

There was more silence, and Lance didn’t know what Keith was thinking. Then, he heard a muffled noise followed by footsteps, and very faintly, he could hear retching. He wrinkled his nose at the sound and patiently waited for Keith to come back. When he did, he sounded even more wrecked than before. “ _ Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your warm sentiments. _ ” He apologized. 

“Wow, you really can’t handle alcohol.” Lance laughed breathily. He heard Keith mumble ‘shut up’ and chose to ignore it, sobering a little. “But seriously, I meant what I said.”

“ _ Thank you, Lance. _ ” Keith said, not making him wait for a response this time around. “ _ Thank you for bearing with me, I’m seriously struggling. _ ” He admitted, making Lance’s heart shatter. If there’s one thing that Keith Kogane does not do, it’s admit he feels weak. He was constantly putting up walls so that people wouldn’t ever know what he was feeling. 

“Hey, I’m always here for you. Anytime of day or night, you can call or come over. I can’t promise I won’t be grumpy if you wake me up from my beauty sleep, but I’ll be there for you.” Lance promised, sounding sincere.

Keith let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, and Lance could picture him smiling. “ _ Again, thanks. I have a paper to attempt to write, so I’ll- _ ”

“Wait!” Lance shouted, and Keith stopped.

“ _ What? _ ”

“After graduation, let’s go on vacation. To the beach. Sound good?” Lance asked, flopping back down onto his bed.

Keith hesitated again. “ _ First off, how could either of us afford this? And second off, why the beach? _ ” He asked Lance.

Lance grinned into his screen. “I have family in Varadero Beach and they want me to come visit after graduation. When I told them I’m too poor to go down, they said they’d pay for my ticket and my boyfriend’s. They’re letting me use one of their beach houses.”

“ _...When? _ ” Keith asked. 

“We could go whenever and we can stay as long as we want. Did I mention that this side of my family is stupidly rich? Like, stupid rich. Diamond encrusted toilet rich.” Lance said.

“ _ Holy crap. _ ” Keith breathed, making Lance laugh. “ _ I mean, if they’re willing, I guess. _ ”

“Awesome!” Lance exclaimed. “We’ll work out the details later. I love you, baby. Write the hell out of that paper.”

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you two are graduating!” Pidge cried, actual tears rolling down her face. Lance grinned and adjusted his black robe while Hunk gave a sad smile and placed his large hand on her head.

“C’mon, don’t cry. If you cry I’m gonna cry, and that will be a mess.” Hunk warned, though his tone was light and playful.

“I mean, I just can’t believe it!” Pidge carried on. “Lance is the dumbest guy I know, and you’re like, the greatest guy I know! You two can’t leave!”

Lance almost didn’t hear her insult her, but when he did comprehend what she said, he glared at her. “Hey, I’m not dumb! I’m actually very smart!” He huffed in his defense.

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Lance, spell eye.” he demanded.

Lance’s face grew red in embarrassment and anger. “ _ I said I’m sorry! _ I mixed it up in my head! That was freshman year, let it go!” He cried, punching Hunk in the arm, albeit weakly. Just as he did, a girl in a dark red robe ran up to them, looking flustered.

“Lance, have you seen Keith?” She asked, panting slightly. “We’ve been trying to find him everywhere, we’re starting soon. No one has seen him, and you’re our last hope.”

“What? He’s gone?” Lance asked, actually shocked. Keith had stressed himself out so much, going nights without sleeping and days without eating or socializing just to win back valedictorian at the last minute. He was so excited when they announced the top ten, and for him to suddenly disappear was completely abnormal. “Where have you looked? I don’t think he mentioned anything to me.” he added, pulling out his phone to see if he had any missed calls or texts. None.

“We checked all the boys bathrooms, even the girls ones, we checked the courtyards, the closets, and the library. There’s nowhere else he could be. We even looked up his car in the system to see if he left, but it’s still sitting in the parking lot. The ceremony starts in half an hour, and we can’t start without the valedictorian.” She blurted out without taking a single breath.

Lance thought long and hard, then nodded with a determined look on his face. “I might have an idea where he is. Let me go check, I’ll be right back.” He said, sliding out of his black robes and tossing them to Hunk. “Hang onto those for me!” He called back, jogging down the halls, leaving all three of them confused. 

When Lance got to the classroom, he saw the door cracked open and let out a sigh of relief. He walked up to the door and saw Keith sitting at the desk he used to sit at during their study hall, his head in his hands and his fingers painfully threaded through his black hair. Lance nudged the door open and knocked. Keith looked up, looking even more stressed out than he imagined. “Hey, babe. Mind if I come in?”

Keith nodded, letting his head hit the table with a dull thud. His robes were sitting next to him, along with several other cords to signify all the honors he’d been awarded. Lance grabbed a chair and dragged it across the table from Keith, sitting backwards in it so his stomach rested against the back. “Everyone’s looking for you. You wanna tell me why you’re hiding out here when we’re supposed to be graduating in less than half an hour?” He asked gently, bringing a hand to play with Keith’s messy hair.

Keith looked up at him again with tired eyes. “My dad’s not coming, neither is Shiro.” He choked out. “I feel like if I go up there, I’m reading a speech for no one.” 

Lance breathed out slowly. “You’re reading it for me. And for my family. Lindsey will think every word was written specifically for her.” He said with a soft smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Keith tried to smile back, but it looked more like a grimace if anything. “I know, I love you and your family, but I just… I really wanted my dad or at least Shiro to be here. I just worked so hard and I feel like it’s for nothing.”

Lance truly didn’t know what to say. He wanted to tell him everything was going to be okay. He wanted to tell him to forget about his family and just focus on him. However, he thought of a better solution. “Do you remember in sixth grade when we had to run the mile for gym class?” Lance asked.

Keith gave him a confused look. “What about it?”

“I was so dead set on beating you, and you the same to me, that we both ended up sprinting the entire thing and throwing up the second we crossed the finish line.” He reminisced with a huge grin on his face. “The teacher said he didn’t know whether to be impressed or irritated.”

Keith snorted. “It was the fastest mile I’ve ever run, but it was so not worth it. Well, no, maybe it was, I kicked your ass.” He jested.

Lance rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that. And then there was the one time in fourth grade when the teacher assigned us to work on a project together, and in the middle of class you stood up and screamed, ‘I don’t need an idiot for a partner, I’m way better on my own!’ The teacher kicked you out of class and I cried.”

“God, I hated you back then.” Keith groaned. Then, his expression grew grim again. “What’s your point, Lance? Are you trying to get me to remember how much I hated you so that I break up with you?”

“Please don’t.” Lance begged. “Anyway, I was trying to remind you that as long as I have known you, you’ve been independent. It probably sucked ass when your dad didn’t show up to a talent show or a play, but you always managed to tough through it and give it your all. You always have. If you could be strong back then, you can be strong now. I believe in you.” He assured him, grabbing Keith’s hands and giving them a firm squeeze. 

Keith squeezed back, catching Lance’s eyes and staring at him, as if trying to access his soul. “Can you promise me one thing?”

Lance squeezed harder, leaning in closer. “I’ll promise you the whole world if I have to.” 

Keith laughed softly. “Can you just promise me that anytime I look out into the crowd, I’ll always see you looking back at me?” He whispered.

Lance grinned again, then leaned forward for a kiss. “ _ Always _ . Now, come on. You look damn good in black, and I’m not missing the opportunity to see you flaunting your stuff on stage in it. I already told my mom to take pictures. If only the guys wore red instead of the girls - no, wait, it’s a good thing they don’t, because I’d be all over you.” He said, dragging Keith to his feet. 

“Lance, that makes me sound like a stripper.” Keith snorted.

They jogged back to the auditorium, much to the relief of everyone waiting for them. The ceremony started off smoothly, then it was Keith’s turn to give his speech as valedictorian.

When he walked up to the podium, he looked like a deer in headlights. There was a long, awkward pause to begin, and the silence was unnerving. Lance saw Keith’s eyes glance up, trying to find him. He gave Keith a big thumbs up, and Keith smiled and began.

The speech was extremely well written, but Keith lacked emotion to make it sound good. Lance could see Keith was quickly losing confidence and wanted nothing more than to go up there and rescue Keith from the stage. However, sometimes life throws you a bone.

In the middle of the speech, the doors opened obnoxiously loud, making over half of the people crowded into the auditorium turn around in annoyance to see who it was. Lance had to admit, he was one of those people. He was glad he did, however, because he instantly recognized Keith’s brother Shiro by his tuft of white hair and Keith’s father in the wheelchair Shiro was pushing. He let out a loud gasp only to be shushed by Hunk.

Keith glanced up at the noise as well, then had to do a double take. Shiro grinned and pushed his dad to the back of the auditorium so they could watch. Lance snapped back towards Keith, giving him an eager nod. Keith let slip the smallest smile and continued his speech. The rest of it was filled with much more confidence, which gave it so much more power. When he was done, clapping immediately ensued. Lance stood up to give him a standing ovation, being the overbearing boyfriend he was, and was actually surprised to see the rest of the auditorium stand up too. Keith looked like he was going to die, but this time, not of sadness. 

The rest of the ceremony was a blur to Lance. He remembered running up to the stage, receiving his diploma, kissing it, then holding it over his head in victory and running off the stage. He probably cried, but he was unwilling to admit that part. After the ceremony, he ran into his mother’s arms, hugging her tight while he was definitely not crying. She definitely was, however, and now Lance was definitely crying. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Keith practically jump on his father. He pulled him in for a tight hug, crying his eyes out. He heard him sob, “I can’t believe you guys made it. I was so upset when you said you couldn’t come.” Shiro smiled and patted his back, saying something that Lance couldn’t hear from the distance. 

Lance grabbed his parent’s wrists and pulled them towards Keith and his family, ignoring their protests to let them go. When Keith noticed Lance, he immediately threw himself at him, holding him tight. Lance held him back tighter, unable to hold back a sob. “We did it. We really did it.” He whispered with a smile, his breath hitching as tears ran down his face.

“I know.” Keith croaked back. “I never thought you would pass math. I thought Iverson was going to kill you.”

Lance pounded his fist off Keith’s shoulder and they both laughed, finally pulling apart. Lance’s mom pulled out her phone and aimed it towards them, eliciting a groan from Lance. “Do you have to take a picture?” He asked her, wiping a tear from his cheek.

“Yes, I do. It’s in the mom handbook. Now come on you two, smile!” She insisted. 

Lance rolled his eyes but wrapped his arm around Keith’s waist, pulling him in closer. His mom snapped way too many pictures, so in the middle of it, Lance sneaked some cheek kisses to Keith, who swatted him away in embarrassment, though he couldn’t erase the smile on his face.

* * *

 

Sobs echoed off the empty walls. The room was dark. Rain slammed into the windows, creating a white noise. The only light came from a small lamp on a bedside table. 

Keith’s father had finally passed away.

They had all known it was coming for weeks now, but as he lived on through Shiro’s wedding and Keith’s graduation, no one really thought it was happening. They let their guard slip for just an instance and were quickly slapped with harsh reality.

Keith was on his knees at the bedside, holding onto his father’s hand while he cried into the mattress. Shiro was at the foot of the bed with Allura, biting his lip hard while trying not to cry. He failed, however, and turned away, bringing a fist to his mouth. Allura gave him a sad look and pressed her hand into his shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly.

Lance stood not too far behind Keith, cradling his own arms and ready to comfort the sobbing man when needed. He felt numb, staring down at Keith’s father’s lifeless body. He had met the man enough times to count on one hand, and spoken to him even less. The last conversation he’d had with the man was on Shiro’s wedding night when Lance dragged Keith home. It just didn’t seem real to be standing there staring at him, knowing he’ll never move again. Lance half expected him to sit up and tell them this was all some cruel joke, but he never did. 

After regaining his composure, Shiro herded them all out of the room. He had a multitude of phone calls to make now. Keith was reluctant to leave his father’s side, but after some gentle prodding from Lance, he stood up and shuffled out of the room, held by Lance’s protective arms.

Lance settled them on the couch, wrapping his arms around Keith while Keith pressed his face into Lance’s shirt to muffle his sobs. Lance stroked his hair and whispered sweet nothings into his ear to soothe him. 

Allura tried to busy herself in the kitchen while Shiro paced around the house, trying to contact several people. Keith started hyperventilating, causing Allura to rush over with a bag to try and even out his breathing. When he finally calmed down enough to set the bag down, Lance got the first good look at his face. His eyes were swollen and red, and his face was glistening with tears. Hair matted to his skin where it caught in the tears. He looked, for lack of better words, horrible. 

Shiro inevitably noticed because soon he was approaching Lance with a cup full of water. He gestured towards Keith, then flicked his head towards Keith’s room. Lance nodded in understanding and stood up, pulling Keith with him. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go lay down for a little bit.” he murmured. Keith nodded, wiping his face on the sleeve of his shirt. 

He sat Keith on the bed and handed him the cup, then made his way across the room to dig through Keith’s dresser to find something more comfortable than a black button up and jeans. He couldn’t help but feel this scene was somewhat reminiscent and smiled a little.

He pulled out a shirt of his own that he hadn’t even realized Keith’d smuggled until now and turned back to Keith. He heard the echo of an empty cup tapping wood and knew he’d finished the drink. Lance internally sighed in relief; at least he was mostly sure now that he wasn’t going to refuse to eat.

Lance helped Keith out of his clothes and pulled the t-shirt over his head, noticing how drowsy Keith was looking. He assumed it was from crying so hard as he laid Keith down on his bed, where he almost instantly passed out. He would have been concerned, but when he picked up the cup to throw it away, he saw a little bit of soggy powder at the bottom, then realized Shiro must have crushed up one of Keith’s sleeping pills into the water. He wondered if Keith knew, and that’s why he drank the water so fast. Lance sighed and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Keith gently.

* * *

 

It was a picture perfect scene. The waves splashed gently onto the sand, the sun was just setting, seagulls chirped softly in the distance, and Keith’s hand was intertwined with Lance’s own as they walked down the beach. A few idle joggers passed them by, but to them, it was just the two of them in their own little world. 

It was the middle of August at this point. The two had ended up staying at Lance’s relative’s beach house for most of the summer. After the death of his father, Keith needed time to recollect his thoughts and staying in the house his father lived and died in was not helping. They had planned to stay at the beach for no more than a week, but when Keith started getting better, they realized silently that neither of them wanted to ruin it. They knew that paradise was eventually going to have to end, but while they had it, neither of them were letting go. 

Lance heard Keith’s message tone go off as they were walking and huffed in fake-annoyance as he pulled out to check it. “Um, excuse me, we are on a romantic date?” He said as he lifted their intertwined hands to show Keith as if he was unaware. 

“Oh, bite me.” Keith scoffed with no real heat behind his words. Before Lance could purr out ‘gladly’, he pointed his phone towards Lance to show him what he was looking at. “It’s Shiro. They found out at the ultrasound today that they’re having a girl and he’s really excited about it.” He explained. 

Lance let out a small laugh. “He’s gonna spoil the crap out of that baby.” 

“ _ I’m _ going to spoil the crap out of that baby.” Keith added, making them both laugh. 

They fell into a comfortable silence afterwards, simply enjoying each other’s company. It wasn’t until they were almost back at the house when Keith spoke up. “Hey, Lance?” 

Lance turned to look at him. “Yes, babe?”

“I just wanted to say thank you.” He said. Lance gave him a strange look, unsure of what he meant, but Keith continued before he could question him. “I guess I should be saying thank you to Pidge, actually, because if she wasn’t so meddlesome, we wouldn’t be here right now. But I wanted to thank you for being there for me. I don’t know how I would have made it through my senior year without you, or even my dad’s passing. You’ve kind of become my rock and my savior, and I really can’t thank you enough for that.” He explained. “I love you, Lance Robert McClain.”

“Well, Keith Michael Kogane,” Lance said, stopping them to look into Keith’s eyes. “Thank you for not rejecting me after I took a really creepy picture of you and not hating me after knowing me for so long. I know we’ve only been together about seven months, but I honestly can’t remember what life was like before I met you. Thank you for everything.”

Keith smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him, and then, closer than ever before, the pair continued their stroll home. 


End file.
